Former president Mohammad Khatami, considered the spiritual leader of Iran's reformists, urged voters on Sunday to re-elect President Hassan Rouhani and support his policy of seeking to end Iran's isolation from the rest of the world. Iran's hardline security and judicial powers, which operate separately to the presidency and are close to Iran's ultimate authority - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - have banned media from publishing Khatami's image or mentioning his name.

But Khatami has played a prominent role in elections by using social media to urge voters to back pro-reform candidates. "We have started on a path with Rouhani and we have come half way. We have resolved some problems and bigger problems remain for us to resolve on this difficult path with him," Khatami said in a video message released on social media. "It is now your turn to renew your vote for our dear Rouhani in order to strengthen hope for a better future," he said.

Copyright Reuters, 2017